ITAL 5333
3 credits (45 hours)
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Dante Alighieri is the most important Italian poet, the father of Italian language and the principle figure of
Medieval Literature in Europe. This course will examine Dante’s Divine Comedy and some other minor works of his (i.e.“Vita Nuova” and “Convivio”). The course aim is to allow students to examine his internationally renowned literary texts in their original language. Students will read excerpts from these works and engage in a historical, literary and rhetorical analysis of texts while determining techniques of poetic composition. Students are expected to actively participate and contribute to class discussion. They are also expected to do all the exercises assigned daily.
*Students must have earned at least 12 credits of Italian language as the course will be instructed in Italian.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the course the student will be able:
1.
To analyze how the major events of Dante’s life and historical context of the era affected his literature.
2.
To describe the style and poetic technique of Dante.
3.
To critically analyze, interpret and discuss the texts.
4.
To develop comprehension of the significance of Italian texts in Italian, European and global context including a general familiarity with literary history.
5.
To achieve advanced proficiency in the Italian language.
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DIVISION OF SUBJECT MATTER
Topic
•
The Middle-Age: historical Italian and European context
•
History of “Divina Comedia”
•
Dante Alighieri: his life
3
3
3
Total Hours_______
“La Vita Nuova”:
•
Prima apparizione di Beatrice, capitolo 1
•
Seconda apparizione di Beatrice, capitolo 2
La donna dello schermo, capitolo 5
1.5
1.5
1.5
Epistole
• Epistola a Cangrande della Scala
1.5
“Convivio”:
•
Trattato I, capitolo 1
•
Trattato IV, capitolo 24
1.5
1.5
“Divina Commedia”, Inferno (1 st module):
•
Inferno, canto 1
•
•
•
Inferno, canto 3
Inferno, canto 5
Inferno, canto 6
Midterm evaluation (written and oral)
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1
“Divina Commedia”, Inferno (2 nd module):
•
•
Inferno, canto 10
Inferno, canto 19
•
•
Inferno, canto 26
Inferno, canto 34
“Divina Commedia”, Purgatorio:
•
Paradiso, canto 1
•
Paradiso, canto 4
•
•
Paradiso, canto 25
Paradiso, canto 33
“Divina Commedia”, Paradiso:
•
•
Paradiso, canto 1
Paradiso, canto 19
•
•
Paradiso, canto 25
Paradiso, canto 33
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1
45
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
Final evaluation (written and oral)
Total
25

TEXTS
•
M. Maiden et al. A Reference Grammar of Modern Italian , McGraw Hill.
•
Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy , Simon and Schuster (2007). Translated by Gregory Blake Smith.
•
An Italian Dictionary (e.g. “Dizionario della lingua italiana”, Le Monnier).
SANT'ANNA INSTITUTE ABSENCE POLICY
You are allowed two unexcused absences. Documentation for any other absence MUST be produced and
APPROVED by the professor or the Director. For absences due to illness, please provide the professor with a doctor's note upon returning to class as well as inform them and/or the school the first day of illness. Each unexcused absence after the second will reduce your grade by 3 percentage points.
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